Malabar Intermediate School Principal Tom Hager wields a huge pair of scissors provided by the Richland Area Chamber to cut the ribbon that officially opened the school’s health care clinic. A dream was realized Monday afternoon at the dedication of Malabar Intermediate School’s Care Connect health clinic.
“We worked on this for some time,” Principal Tom Hager said. “We’re here to help kids connect their academic performance to their lives outside of school.”
Funded by a
four-year state School Quality Improvement Grant, the clinic is a partnership
between Malabar and Third Street Family Health Services in Mansfield. It will
be staffed by a nurse practitioner on Mondays and Thursdays.
“This is a holistic approach to meeting the needs of students and families,” Hager said. “We can no longer look just to the classroom to improve academic performance. We must look outside the classroom.”
A core team
of teachers and administrators at Malabar will identify students who they
believe would benefit from clinic care as well as home visits by Third Street
community health care workers Shanise Brooks and Laura Walker. The mission of
Brooks and Walker is to conduct needs assessments and direct families to
available assistance for food, housing, utilities, transportation and other
necessities as needed. Parental consent will be required for both clinic and
home visits.
Superintendent
Stan Jefferson was joined at the dedication by board of education members Renda
Cline, Gary Feagin and Sheryl Weber.
“This clinic is a wonderful achievement for Malabar and for our community,” Jefferson said. “I am grateful for the hard work of Principal Hager, former Principal Andrea Moyer, Dr. Redding, Third Street Family Health Services and many others involved in making these services available to our student and families.”
Dr. Holly
Christie, director of student support programs, said earlier the district is
seeking to create a partnership among students, their families and the school.
The clinic is located down the hall from Malabar’s administrative offices. It includes a reception area, waiting room and two private exam rooms. Clinic access is through the doors to the right of the school’s digital message sign.
Mark Redding, M.D., a pediatrician affiliated with Akron Children’s Hospital, has been involved in planning the school-based health clinic and home visits.
“This is an amazing blessing to be able to help kids who are struggling and their families,” Redding said Monday.
Jodie Perry, president of the Richland Area Chamber, called the clinic “a great community partnership.”
“The more things like this we have, the stronger our community will be,” she said.
Perry also
handed Hager letters of commendation from state Senate President Larry Obhof
and local state Rep. Mark Romanchuk.
Hager cited
the support of Romanhuk, who recommended grant funding for the clinic in a
letter to the Ohio Department of Education.
There is no
charge for visits by the community health-care workers. Fees for clinic
services will be on a sliding scale based on family income and can be billed to
insurance or Medicaid.
The school
nurse will continue to serve the general school population.
Hager said
the School Quality Improvement Grant will provide $600,000 over four years.